Our mission in West Bloomfield is to support each student’s needs by providing them the opportunities, experiences, and educational tools for their journey ahead. One way that we ensure that students get the best experiences and have access to the best tools is through our curriculum review cycle. Our goal is to evaluate curricular resources every five years on a staggered cycle to determine if the resource best serves the needs of students, staff, and families.

This year, our English department will be evaluating the impact and effectiveness of the resources and instructional design for Secondary ELA classes. In addition to achievement data, student surveys, and teacher surveys, we believe it is also critical to collect feedback from our parents and guardians. If you have a student in grades 7-12, please help us effectively evaluate this resource by providing your perspective. This survey will take very little of your time but will give us great insight into doing what is best for our learners.

Please CLICK HERE to learn more about the secondary ELA survey. The video provides an 8-minute explanation of why the survey matters so much, and then after that there is a read aloud/description of each question if you need assistance with the survey.

Click here to complete the Secondary ELA survey by or before October 16th.

Thank you for being our valued partners as we work together to provide the best educational experience imaginable for the children in the West Bloomfield School District. We are proud to provide great opportunities for each student, and we aim to do an ever better job next school year. Your input and feedback will be instrumental in our planning, as it helps identify what is working and where we can grow as a district. Next week WBSD will be distributing surveys to students, families and staff in our K-5 buildings.

Next week, please watch your email for the link to the K-5 WBSD Family Feedback Survey and take a moment to share your insights. If you have questions about the surveys or would like to provide additional information after taking it, please contact the Educational Services Department at 248-865-6496.

WBSD works diligently to provide a safe and secure learning environment for our staff, students and community. Here are a few of the areas on which we focus:

Physical Improvements

One of the largest impacts on physical safety is our use of bond funds to replace locks for every classroom door throughout the district. In the past, teachers had a key and had to go out in the hallway, insert the key into the lock, and then return to their classrooms during lockdowns. We are currently installing thumb-turn locks with color-coded, high-visibility labeling that clearly reads LOCKED or UNLOCKED. Students or staff can turn the lock from inside the classroom and know with certainty the door is locked. No armed assailant has yet breached a locked classroom.

Emergency Operation Plan Updates

Each school has a fully-developed Emergency Operations Plan that is over 120 pages. The Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) is the result of collaboration between the

school district, contracted safety professionals, and local first response agencies, including emergency management officials. These guidelines are based on materials and lessons learned from these personnel, as well as guidance provided by the Federal Emergency

Management Agency (FEMA) and the Department of Education and the Michigan State

Police. We do not release these tools to the public as they are the playbook for responding to every kind of emergency from chemical accidents to utility shutoffs with maps and photos. The floorplans show our AEDs and they also include the emergency contact rosters which are updated regularly. For example, several of the elementary schools had updates to the emergency contacts that tie directly to the incident command action sheets. Chief Patton reviewed every page last year, checking with Chief Flynn regarding fire safety and best practices, and the updates were approved by the Board of Education. This month, our admin team will be meeting with the chiefs of police again to discuss the latest best practices in response and communication, and proactively address any questions.

Training

All WBSD staff are required to participate in Vector safety training each year. This covers topics such as bloodborne pathogens, mandatory reporting of child abuse, seclusion and restraint awareness, sexual harassment response, and the WBSD Employee Handbook. In addition, several staff and coaches are required to undergo additional training such as CPR and AED use. Last year all staff were trained in Stop the Bleed, as the number one cause of preventable death after injury is bleeding.

WBSD also has a School Safety/Crisis Team that meets regularly to review policies, review our threat assessment process, participate in tabletop exercises, and undergo additional training.

Partnerships

WBSD partners with our local police and fire departments on programs from fire safety to the Buddy System. In the Buddy System, West Bloomfield officers regularly visit our schools during their patrol shifts. This provides a positive interaction between public safety and students and ensures their staff are familiar with our school layouts. Research shows interacting with uniformed officers and those in full fire gear makes it easier for students to trust them in emergency situations. Police and fire also use our buildings for training when students are not present, again increasing familiarity with building layouts as they sharpen their skills.

Communication

When an incident occurs, it's common for parents and families to wonder why they hear from their student before the school reaches out. Here are some key points to understand our communication process:

• All emergency communications are carefully reviewed by the administration and trained staff to ensure that they are accurate and do not violate a student’s federally protected rights. Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), we cannot share a student’s name, identifying information, medical status, or specific consequences. WBSD adheres to the student code of conduct.

• For incidents involving ongoing school or police investigations, our communication must also be approved by the public safety department to avoid compromising potential investigations.

WBSD strives to communicate with parents and guardians as soon as possible during emergencies, then follow up with additional information as/if it becomes available.

WBSD is committed to maintaining a safe and supportive environment for all of our students and staff. Ensuring the well-being of our school community is our top priority, and we will continue to work diligently with our local public safety partners, follow established protocols, and keep families informed to create a secure space for learning and growth. Together, we can build a strong, safe, and inclusive school community.

If you have questions regarding our emergency planning, please do not hesitate to reach out to Johanna Mracna (johanna.mracna@wbsd.org) or Jamie Stottlemyer (james.stottlemyer@wbsd.org).

October Elementary School, Middle School, and High School Menus are here

Parents of WBSD students can apply to receive six non-perishable meals each Friday of the school year. The goal of Fueling Kids' Futures is to make sure no child goes hungry on the weekend. Run by volunteers, there is NO cost to the families. For the application, click here.

Save the Date: the major fundraiser for Fueling Kids' Futures is Trivia Night Friday, November 8.

Check out the newsletter for events, opportunities, and more! From Sonja James, WBSD Executive Director of Educational Equity and Inclusion

• Check out the Athletics calendar here for upcoming events.
• Shop Laker spirit gear here.
• Download Go Fan to purchase tickets for upcoming WBHS games

Fall Play-Save the Date!
A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare

Nov 14, 15, 16 at 7 p.m.

Nov 16 at 1 p.m. - an American Sign Language interpreted matinee

Math Pentathlon teaches and reinforces basic math concepts and skills, stimulates creative thinking, develops problem-solving skills, develops spatial computational and logical reasoning, and good sportsmanship.

Practice Dates and More Info, Click Here

Division 1: K-1st Grade

Division 2: 2nd & 3rd Grade

Division 3: 4th & 5th Grade

Division 4: 6th & 7th Grade

Book Lists

· Celebrate Libraries (Youth)

· 100 Picture Books to Read in Kindergarten (Youth)

· Baseball-Themed Fiction (Teen)

Owl Pellet Investigators

Thursday, October 9 from 6–8 p.m.

Main Library Youth Activity Center
This program is a blend of science, mystery and hands-on learning. Participants will embark on a scientific journey, dissecting owl pellets to uncover the hidden diets of these fascinating nocturnal predators. Join us as we unravel the secrets held within owl pellets and discover the interconnectedness of our ecosystem.

For Grades 3-5. Registration Required

Click here to register: https://westbloomfield.librarycalendar.com/event/owl-pellet-investigators-3861

Star Wars STEAM Day

Thursday, October 19 from 12–3 p.m.

Main Library Youth Area
Star Wars and Science, what could be better? Explore all of our STEAM stations from Build-a-Droid to creating a Gumdrop Geodesic Dome to mini LED lightsabers and much more! Come dressed in your favorite Star Wars attire and get ready to celebrate Star Wars and Science! The Robot Garage will be here with a fun project and the Great Lakes Garrison will also be in attendance

For All Ages. No Registration Required.

Moms and mother figures, enjoy a special night out with your son(s) at the High Tops & High Heels Dance! Join WB Parks at Glen Oaks Golf Course for a night of dancing and dance floor activities with DJ Super Dave. Joel Tacey from Tiptop Entertainment will be providing fun balloon art for all and guests can get a fun tattoo from our tattoo station. Professional Photographs will be available for purchase by Portraits with Michelle all evening. Guests will enjoy an upscale buffet which includes an entrée of smoked ham and/or herb baked chicken paired with macaroni and cheese, choice vegetable and dinner roll, along with a salad bar, beverages and dessert.

Price is per person. All those attending the event must be registered. Resident $40/per person. Nonresident $45/per person.

To learn more or to register visit https://www.wbparks.org/event/high-tops-high-heels/

• WBSD Employment Opportunities
• GWB Historical Society Events
• Greater West Bloomfield Community Coalition
• West Bloomfield Parks and Recreation
• West Bloomfield Township Public Library

October 30: Late Start

November 5: No School for Students

We have some job openings!

Please share these opportunities with your friends and family. Thank you for all who shared the Parapro Drop-In interview. The event was a huge success!

Job Postings.

For World Restart a Heart Day, West Bloomfield High School juniors Matilda Edvardsson, Sofia Zholob and Amarina Kriko partnered with Corewell Health and West Bloomfield Fire Department to train over 150 staff and students in hands-only CPR during lunch hour.

Hands-free CPR, awareness building, and heart screenings are all part of Matilda and her team’s quest to make WBHS a Michigan Heart Safe School. The school already has the AED machines required for that designation.

“I thought it was an amazing opportunity to show as many people as possible the lifesaving intervention of CPR,” said Avery Wright, firefighter paramedic for West Bloomfield who was invited to participate by her chief. “CPR is the most crucial treatment and the faster it can be administered the better – before 911 gets there is the gold standard.”

“I’ve been really happy with the turnout and engagement, and I feel very confident they would be able to step in if something happened,” Wright added about those being trained today.

Corewell Health Manager of Student Heart Screening Jennifer Shea agreed, “We’ve never had student engagement at this level in the 17 years we’ve been doing this.”

Shea added about 1 in every 100 students they screen find a condition that requires follow up. In Corewell’s program, 21,000 students have been screened to date, 2200 were referred for follow up, and 232 had significant heart conditions they were not aware of.

“Heart screening is not part of the typical sports physical and insurance doesn’t typically cover it unless there is a family history or the student is experiencing symptoms,” Shea said.

February 1, this same student team will partner with Corewell to offer 22 heart screening exam areas in the WBHS gym. Sign up will open about six weeks in advance for the free screenings and 12 cardiologists have already committed to help. While this grew out of a HOSA project Matilda participated in last year exploring how communities could prevent cardiac arrest, it has grown to include students in DECA, the Health & Science Club, and the Medical Skills and Innovation class as well as Health classes.

Blake Belsky, Captain, EMS Division of the West Bloomfield Fire Department stressed, “Seventy percent of all cardiac arrests happen in the home, so this skill could save the life of someone you love.”

As Belsky told each student and staff member he trained:

1. Call 911 (and put them on speaker so they can help you with step 2)

2. If the person is not breathing, put your hands on the bony part of the chest and start compressions. Doing compressions to the song “Staying Alive” or “Baby Shark” helped keep the right rhythm.

To request Heart Saver CPR, AED and First Aid training, call the fire department administration at 248-409-1505. Information will be released in January on the student heart screening activity February 1 also being coordinated by this student team and community partners Corewell and the West Bloomfield Fire Department.